Man pulled from burning Jeep

A state trooper and three good Samaritans pulled a man through the torn roof of his fiery Jeep Cherokee last night on Route 6 in a quick maneuver that may have saved the man's life.

Mary Ann Bragg

YARMOUTHPORT — A state trooper and three good Samaritans pulled a man through the torn roof of his fiery Jeep Cherokee last night on Route 6 in a quick maneuver that may have saved the man's life, a fire department official said.

The man, Jamie Frazee, 29, of Dennis, according to State Police Trooper Eric Benson in the Framingham public relations office, crashed the Jeep head on at 7:09 p.m. into a mounded median just east of Exit 7, on the eastbound side, and the engine likely burst into flames, according to the state police.

Frazee was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Cape Cod Hospital this morning.

Four people first on the scene — state Trooper Bruce Buckley, Tom Paullini of Harwich, Nicholas Pelkey of West Yarmouth and Santiago Velez of Sandwich — pulled the man out as the fire began to spread to the passenger compartment and bushes, according to the state police and Yarmouth fire Lt. Matthew Bearse.

Firefighters put out the fire in about five minutes, but rescuers had some tense moments when the driver, who appeared to have suffered a concussion, insisted that another person was in the Jeep with him, Bearse said.

Rescuers searched the area and found no one, and the state police used infrared equipment from a helicopter last night to ensure that no one was in the area, Bearse and the state police said.

The overflowing amount of work equipment inside the truck led rescuers to believe it unlikely that another person was inside, Bearse said.

Dennis resident Julie Lloyd was driving eastbound when the Jeep was still on fire, and saw the flames shooting out of the car, which seemed to be engulfed in flames, she said.

"I've never driven up on something like that," Lloyd said.

Three fire engines, an ambulance, two wreckers and police cars remained on the scene, with the blue and red flashing lights illuminating the darkness of the highway, according to a witness.

The light traffic was directed onto the right-hand shoulder of Route 6, with drivers slowing for a glimpse at the blackened Jeep jammed straight into the hillside.